Tell Me
by WriterAK47
Summary: 'So tell me.' 'I don't trust you.' 'Come on, Granger.' 'Where.' 'Your apartment.' Rated T to be safe, non-graphic torture.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N  
**

**Hello! This is my first fanfiction, so don't be too hard on me. I love Dramione so much I just had to write it! There's no Draco/Hermione interaction to begin with but it does come eventually, I promise! Please review and let me know what I can improve :)  
**

Chapter 1. Crucio

Hermione walked briskly through Diagon Alley. She didn't usually come to this side in the evenings, but she had run out of a vital potion ingredient, Doxy eggs. She needed to let the potion brew in her lab overnight, so she couldn't wait until the morning to buy them.

She heard a faint rustling and held up her wand, immediately alert.

'_Lumos.' _She whispered. Nothing moved, from what she could see in the wandlight. She carried on walking, keeping her wand aloft. Feeling slightly worried, she quickened her pace and walked hurriedly towards the shop. Just a few more metres to go.

'Well, what do we have here?'

Hermione whirled around to find a smirking Theodore Nott. Before she could even utter a word, her wand was wrenched out of her fingers, and her hand was being held behind her back. Whoever was holding her threw her wand to Nott, who caught it deftly before stowing it in his pocket.

'What are you doing, Nott.' Hermione asked through gritted teeth, trying to work out who was holding her.

'I thought it was fairly obvious. Catching a mudblood.' He said it so casually, without a care in the world.

'Oh _please,' _Hermione said trying to hide her panic,'I think it's high time we get over childish prejudice. The war is over, Nott. Voldemort is dead.' She berated herself in her mind. She had known the dangers of walking around at night, especially as a War Hero.

'The Dark Lord may be dead, Mudblood, but that doesn't change the fact that your blood is filthy. And anyway, my father needs to be avenged.'

Hermione desperately tried to reason with him, struggling against her captor.

'Nott, can you try and see reason? There's no difference in our magi-'

'A mere _mudblood_ isn't going to change anything. My mind is made up. There's no one around here to catch me, like you caught my father.' His voice chilled her to the bone.

'Our blood is the _same_ Nott. You clinging onto stupid ideas isn't helping anyone.' She said trying to persuade him, although she knew her words were fruitless.

'Well, you're certainly right there. It's not helping _you _in any way, is it? _Crucio!_'

The person holding Hermione let her fall as she writhed in pain. She felt as if her internal organs were on fire, and there were thousands of knives trying to stab their way into her. Suddenly the pain stopped, and she looked up to see Nott smirking at her.

'Had enough, Mudblood?' She didn't respond. She just glared at him.

'My, haven't we learnt our lesson yet? Still challenging a pureblood, when you should be begging at our feet? How did you even have the nerve to go around capturing people like my father, Granger? _Crucio!'_

He held the curse for over five minutes, and Hermione began to see black spots in her vision.

'Let's see how long mudbloods take to die. Start counting Granger, it's going to be a long night. _Crucio!_'

The minutes stretched on endlessly. He used hundreds of different curses on her, different variations of the cruciatus curse. He carried on mercilessly, until hours later, she was still breathing, but only very faintly. As soon as they thought she was dead, they unceremoniously dumped her in an alley.

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Hermione woke up an hour later on the cold floor of Knockturn Alley. Her cloak was ripped from the amount of times she had scratched herself, and her arms were covered in blood. She dragged herself up off the floor, shivering violently. It was still dark, and she couldn't see much, but she knew that this was a dangerous place to be in the middle of the night. Gathering the last of her energy, she turned on the spot and apparated to her apartment.

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**A/N**

**Hope you liked it :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N **

**I'm going to post the first few chapters in one go, and then I'll upload them one by one while I write them... **

**Enjoy :)**

Chapter 2.

A few hours later at around 3am, Hermione found herself on the floor of her apartment, covered in blood and grime. She was in extreme pain, and she was terribly scared. She rocked back and forth for over an hour, mumbling various things to her numb mind.

She eventually came to grips with reality, and shook her head to clear her mind. She realised desperately needed water, but she couldn't pull herself up due to her aching body. Her wrist hurt the most, it might've been broken. The only way she could move was to awkwardly shuffle/crawl. She winced every time she moved, but at long last she reached the sink, where she hoisted herself up with the help of the shelf, her limbs shaking. Then she turned on the tap and drank straight from the tap, knowing it would require too much effort to grab a glass.

After satisfying her thirst she crawled over to her cabinet in the living room, trying to refrain from a fit of hysterics. The cabinet contained her emergency equipment. She pulled it open frantically, and reached inside.

The first potion she took was a sip of calming draught, which soothed her nerves immediately. She then took a small sip of invigorating draught, which boosted her low energy levels. Knowing she wouldn't collapse anymore, she began searching with one hand for the spare wand at the back of the cabinet, so she could repair her broken wrist.

'_Episkey.' _She muttered, pointing the wand to her wrist. She grimaced slightly as her hand put itself in the right shape.

After ensuring her wrist was healed, she began taking off her robes and clothing, so she could examine the rest of her injuries. She could see that she had a lot of self-inflicted scratches, they were a common result of the cruciatus curse.

After pulling the stopper off the Murtlap Essence, she began dabbing it onto her various cuts and abrasions. She sighed with relief as her various cuts were soothed and healed.

She was still covered in bruises and grime, but she knew the Bruise-removal paste Fred and George had given her so many years ago was in her bathroom. She gathered her clothes and stood up, with her fresh supply of energy, and walked to her bathroom, still wincing slightly. She walked over to the cupboard under the sink, and grabbed the Bruise-removal paste. Soon all the bruises were gone, but her body still ached after being put under the cruciatus curse for so long.

Twenty minutes later she stepped out of the hot shower wrapped in a towel, her hair finally grime-free. As soon as she got out of the bathroom, she threw on a bath robe and fell onto her bed. She was glad she had only taken a few sips of the potions, for otherwise she would never be able to rest. She wasn't particularly tired, just weary, as she lay in her bed staring at the ceiling. Going into work tomorrow was definitely not an option. She would have to send a patronus to the office. She definitely could not tell Harry or Ron, as they would probably go chasing after Nott and get themselves hurt. _That, _she mused, _was probably his plan all along. Get Harry killed._

She suddenly sat bolt upright, realising something terrible. _They had her wand_. Although she couldn't think if anything dangerous they could do with it, they probably could. After all, they were dark wizards. Although she had her emergency wand, anyone would notice it wasn't her usual one. Especially Harry and Ron. Could she pretend she dropped it somewhere? _No, _she decided. It was a terrible excuse. She would have to think of an excuse tomorrow.

_I should probably tell them I'm not coming in to work tomorrow, _she thought as she grabbed her emergency wand.

'_Expecto Patronum!' _she exclaimed. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still, there was nothing. She couldn't think happily enough. After all, she had been subjected to a ridiculous amount of cruciatus curses.

She hurriedly scribbled a note and attached it to her owl, to send to Harry and Ron at the ministry, telling them she wasn't well.

The potions had begun to wear off, and Hermione began feeling very cold. She started shaking, and so she snuggled into the warmth of her covers. Then she started sweating, and crying.

She stayed that way in her bed the whole night, whimpering, afraid Nott was going to find her. Now she regretted only taking a few sips of potions.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Draco Malfoy entered his cubicle in the ministry. Over the past few years he had built himself an impressive reputation as an Auror. He worked with Scar-head and Weasel on a daily basis. _Joy. _He also worked a lot with Granger, who he was currently waiting for.

Although the war was over, Draco still called her a mudblood sometimes. He didn't in public, of course, but he did to her face. Just to rile her up occasionally. He had been working with her for a while, and so although she could irritate him sometimes, they understood each other. He still didn't like muggles much, though.

Draco frowned as she checked the time. She was late.

'Oi Potter!' he shouted across the cubicles, 'Where's Granger?'

'She's sick Malfoy. Not coming in today.'

'Well thanks for letting me know before I bothered to haul my arse to work! I wouldn't have had to come in if you had just let me know earlier!'

He stood up from his desk and started gathering his things. _Waste of time, _he thought to himself. _Bloody Gryffindors can't get anything right. _And with that thought, he disapparated out of the Ministry.

He appeared in his Manor with a _crack, _and immediately his house elf came and took his cloak and papers. He headed immediately to the parlour, where his mother was undoubtedly organising some charity event or another.

'Mother?'

'Draco? I thought you went to work?'

'I did, but I'm back.' He said as he entered the parlour. His mother looked up at him with a smile.

'Obviously. I can see that you are back, dear, but why?' she replied, smiling.

'You'd think you would be pleased, Mother.' he told her with a smirk.

'Draco, just tell me why you're here.'

'Well, if you're so pleased about it. Miss Mudblood is ill, and so I have no work to do today.'

'Oh. I hope you didn't use that word outside. You shoudn't define someone by her blood status. You should have learnt that after that terrible war.'

'You know I don't actually mean it.'

'It's all well and good if you don't mean it, but walls have ears in the Ministry, and they don't know that you don't mean it. You don't want to go back to a time when we were hated, do you?'

'It's fine, Mother. The ministry won't want to lose one of their best Aurors.' he said, smirking.

'Draco, you are _far _too big-headed for your own good.'

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She awoke in cold sweat the next morning, crying and shaking from head to toe.

She was slowly standing up again when the doorbell rang. She froze in horror. What if it was Nott? Grabbing her emergency wand, she hobbled over to the door and checked through her peephole. Standing outside, was the friendly old muggle postman, who delivered Hermione's muggle post. He was frowning slightly, waiting for her to open the door. She wanted to open it, but she was afraid. Afraid that he would turn out to be Nott and torture her.

She stood at her door, but she couldn't bring herself to open it. She was too scared. Eventually he just left, leaving a note about where she could collect her parcel. She expelled a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. _What was happening to her?_

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**A/N I know there hasn't been any Draco/Hermione interaction yet but I promise there will be some soon! :)  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N **

**Here you go! The chapter which actually involves Draco/Hermione interaction! **

Chapter 4.

Hermione knew she could not avoid work any longer. She hadn't been for two days, and Harry and Ron would begin getting suspicious. Especially Ron. He was so protective of her, in a sweet, brotherly way. She was so glad that nothing had come between them after their relationship hadn't worked out. He was still the lovely, carefree Ron she had always known and loved.

'Auror offices!' she shouted into the fireplace. After a brief moment of whirling through the floo network, she stepped out into the ministry, and began dusting off soot from her cloak.

'Hermione!' she heard Harry and Ron shout in unison. She turned towards the shouts to see them walking towards her. Suddenly she was engulfed in a huge hug from her two best friends. She immediately felt comforted. They would always be there for her.

Which was why she couldn't tell them. She almost sighed out loud. Knowing them, they would go on some rash, dangerous mission to hunt down Nott, who would undoubtedly be waiting to kill them.

'How're you feeling?' Ron asked with a smile, looking down from his six foot two height.

'Better.' She replied with a smile.

'Honestly, Hermione. You can't just go around getting the flu! Me and Ron need you in the office!' Harry exclaimed.

'Oh I am _so _sorry Harry. Next time I'm unwell I'll try to be more considerate of your needs.'

'Yeah, you'd better be.' he told her with a grin.

She already felt much happier. No one else made her feel as comfortable as they did. They knew her so well. They were the closest people in her life, along with her parents.

The three of them began walking to the Auror offices. Recently, they had changed the Auror department, so that they no longer had cramped little cubicles, but small offices. Suddenly Ron groaned, realising something.

'Oh shoot. Hermione's back, so Malfoy's back too. Damn.' he said.

'Eh well. It's not as bad for us as it is for Hermione here. She actually has to work with the git.' Harry replied with a grin at Hermione.

'Guys, he's not a _complete_ nightmare. He's managed to be civil, which is more than I'd hoped. We have also saved each other's lives on numerous occasions. He's still annoying though, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't insult him, or he might become worse.'

'Granger.'

They turned around together upon hearing the voice of none other than Draco Malfoy himself.

'Speak of the devil, and the devil appears.' mumbled Ron. Hermione elbowed him, trying to get him to shut up.

'Yes, Malfoy?' she replied, hoping he hadn't heard Ron's comment.

'We need to talk about the work you've missed. Come see me in my office when you're ready.' And with that, he turned around and walked away.

'Who the hell does he think he is?' asked Harry incredulously.

'It's not who he _thinks _he is Harry, it's who he _knows _he is. A Malfoy.' Hermione replied with a sigh. 'I guess I'll see you at lunch then guys. Bye!'

She walked over to her desk and picked up the files she needed for her talk with Malfoy. They were partnered in their third assignment this year. This time they were pin-pointing where any remaining Death Eaters would be hiding out. So far, in two months, they had captured three Death Eaters: McNair, Nott Sr and Crabbe Sr. They were making very good progress together. She shuddered when she saw the name Nott. She had been the one to find him.

As she collected her files, she realised her fingers were shaking, and she needed to calm down before seeing Malfoy. After relaxing herself, and persuading herself that Nott wasn't about to show up at work, she walked to Malfoy's office door and knocked on it.

'Malfoy, it's me.' she called impatiently.

'Come in, Granger.'

She pushed past the door to see Malfoy sitting at his desk, surrounded by neat stacks of maps and papers.

'Finally decided to come and work today?'

'I was ill, Malfoy.'

'I would've thought all that muggle blood would have made you immune to illnesses.' Hermione tried not to panic when he mentioned her blood. _What if he started torturing her too? No. That was a dumb thought, _she tried to calm herself. But she was still paranoid.

'Can we just get to work, Malfoy?' she snapped, keeping her expression steady.

He raised his eyebrow at her tone.

'Of course, Granger. I'm just joking.

'Well it's not a very funny joke.'

He looked slightly surprised at her reaction, but mentioned nothing more on the subject. He stood up and waved his wand towards the white wall. A projected map appeared, pinpointing possible locations.

'Last week we came up with the idea that other departments can help us, right?'

Hermione nodded.

'Well, I've thought of some of the departments we might need.'

'I thought of a few too. I was thinking maybe for the international possibilities, we might need to ask the Department of International Magical Cooperation, to see if they can agree to involve other countries in the search.'

'Yes, I was thinking of asking them too.'

'Did you think of any others?'

'Perhaps we could ask the new department? The ones who are working on tracing dark magic?'

'Malfoy, they're still working on it. They haven't come up with a lot yet.'

'We can still talk to them.'

'Okay, fine. When should we arrange a meeting?'

'Tomorrow? Just after lunch, maybe?'

'Yeah, that'd be good. Send out memos, will you?'

'Why can't you?'

'Because I'm _busy_, mudblood.'

The word set off a trigger inside Hermione, bringing back every detail of the memory, when Nott had shouted the same word at her before torturing her. She let out a whimper before trying to run to the door. She fell before reaching the door, collapsing onto her weak knees.

Draco was still sitting at his desk in shock. What had happened to Granger? He had been an Auror long enough to know that something had triggered her breakdown, and he was almost completely sure that the trigger had been the word Mudblood.

'Granger? Granger listen. Listen to me.'

His words were to no avail. She carried on shaking on the floor. Draco had never been so glad that he always had a silencing charm on his office, or Potter and Weasel would've come and killed him by now.

'Granger! Calm down.'

She responded this time.

'Don't hurt me! Leave me alone!' she screamed at him.

Draco hurried over to his desk and pulled out a potion. Calming draught. He walked over to Hermione, and despite her struggles he managed to force it down her throat. The effects were almost immediate. She suddenly stopped screaming, but she carried on sobbing.

'What on earth just happened Granger?'

'Leave me alone.'

'No.'

'Please.'

'Granger, tell me.'

She shuddered. 'I'm not telling you.'

'I need to know, goddamnit! If there's a dark wizard out there, I need to bloody know! I'm an Auror!'

'I'm an Auror too.'

'Fat lot of good that's done you, obviously.'

'Shut up, Malfoy.'

'No, mu-,' he hastily changed words when he saw her flinch, 'Granger. Sorry about that. Force of habit.'

She shrugged.

'Granger. I can tell you've been tortured. That much is obvious. But you need to tell someone who it was. It doesn't have to be me. You need to understand, we have to catch whoever it was.'

She mumbled something about not telling Potter and Weasley.

'Well then for merlin's sake tell me!'

'No.'

'Oh come on, Granger,' he said, exasperated, 'If not for you, then do it for the people who might be tortured by this person in the future.'

'He's not going after anyone else.'

'You mean he's going to come after you again?'

'He thinks I'm dead.'

'He tortured you that bad? Why didn't you go straight to St Mungo's?'

'People would find out.'

'And? So what?'

'Harry and Ron would go ballistic and get themselves hurt.'

'So tell _me.'_

'I don't trust you.'

'Working with me for a year hasn't been enough to trust me? Saving each other's lives doesn't earn _trust?'_

'Maybe.'

He sighed. They weren't going to get anywhere. Then he realised that Granger was an utter mess, and sighed again.

'Come on, Granger.'

'Where?'

'Your apartment.' And with that, he picked her up, turned on the spot, and apparated away.

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**A/N **

**I'll be uploading the next chapter soon, depending on how many people read the story... Expect more Dramione!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

**Hey! I just wanted to say thanks to the people who've replied since I posted the story last night, I was so happy when I read the first review:D**

**So that's a thanks to three people who reviewed first, Guest (lol sorry I have no other way to address you), Delena-Fan-for-life, and Writer0906!**

**So keep reviewing guys!**

**Love, AK47**

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Chapter 5

Draco landed in an empty dark space. _Where the hell am I?_

'Granger? Where are we? _Lumos._'

He looked down through the wandlight to see that Hermione squinting through the wandlight.

'Malfoy, that's hurting my eyes.'

He moved the wand away from her eyes.

'Where in the name of Merlin are we?'

'In my ward space.'

'What?'

'I have wards around my flat, so anyone who apparates here without my consent gets sent here.'

'You couldn't have told me before?'

'You apparated before I could say anything.'

'So now what do we do?'

'We apparate again. But this time, I have to bring you side-along.'

'No way. You're too weak for that. You'll splinch us. How do you give your consent?'

'I need a wand.'

'Fine, here.'

'_Intrandum__._'

Suddenly they appeared in a living room. Malfoy walked over to the couch and put Hermione down.

'Granger, set the wards so that I can get in if I need to.'

'Why?'

'If this happens again, but you're unconscious or something, I'll need to get in without your help. I work with you, I'm not going to kill you.'

'Oh really?'

He sighed. 'Yes, Granger. If I wanted to kill you I would've done it ages ago.'

'Fine. I'll do it, but I'll need your wand again.'

She began waving the wand around his head, and she muttered an enchantment.

As soon as she said the words, a golden light began encircling him. It stopped after a few seconds, and she gave him the wand back.

'There. You can come in now, but that doesn't mean you can just pop round whenever you feel like it.'

'I wasn't going to do that, Granger. Now, please tell me what happened.'

'No.' she looked away.

'Granger.'

'Malfoy.'

'Tell me.'

'I can't.'

'Why not?'

'Because Harry and Ron will find out.'

'So?'

'They'll get themselves killed.'

'Okay, fine. I won't tell them.'

'I still don't want to tell you.'

'Why?'

'I don't know.'

'Okay, don't tell me who it was. Just tell me a bit about the situation you were in.'

'No.'

'Oh come _on_.'

'No.'

'Fine. Don't tell me. But just don't go anywhere alone.'

Hermione shuddered, before looking up at him.

'Can they get through my wards?'

'I doubt it.'

'But there is a chance.'

'There's always a chance. Maybe I should stay with you for a while.'

'I don't need you to protect me.'

'Not usually, you don't. But right now, you are prone to breakdowns and fright. I'm not, in any way, insinuating that you are weak.'

'Fine. But Harry and Ron can't know, and you have to promise not to irritate me.'

'Fine.'

He stood up, and walked over to the kitchen.

'What are you doing?'

'Getting you some water.'

'You don't need to!'

She tried standing up to get to him, but fell straight back down to the sofa because of her shaking knees.

'Bloody knees.' she muttered.

He came back with a glass of water, and put it down on the coffee table. Then he came over to her.'

'What are you doing _now_?'

'Propping you up.' he replied as he pulled her back upright against the cushions. 'Wouldn't want you choking.'

He then handed her the water.

'Thank you.'

'My pleasure.' he said, mock bowing. 'Granger?'

'Yes?'

'I have to go grab some things from the manor. Will you be alright?'

She sighed. 'I've been fine for two days without you. I think I can handle a few minutes.'

She watched him apparate away and realised she was really tired. Her eyelids drooped, and she dozed off in a matter of seconds.

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The next thing she knew, she was being lifted into strong arms and taken to her bed. She opened her eyes to see Malfoy pulling the duvet around her.

'Thank you Malfoy. For everything.' she mumbled.

He smiled slightly in response and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**Hey guys! I know this chapter doesn't have a lot of exciting content, but I promise that the next one will be more exciting.**

**Just so you know, I've changed chapter 3 and 4 slightly. They're only small tweaks, about Draco and Hermione's views on each other. I changed Draco's view on muggleborns, because my sister made me realise that he was suddenly being too nice to Hermione, if he had claimed to hate people like her. I changed his view, so he doesn't hate them:)**

**Finally, I'd just like to say WOW. This is my first fanfic ever, and I've already got 15 followers! In three days! Thanks so much guys:D  
**

Chapter 6

Draco POV

Someone screamed, disrupting his sleep. He dug his head deeper into his pillow, trying to block the sound out.

They screamed again. _Who the bloody hell was screaming at this time in the manor?_ He opened his eyes. _Wait a minute. _He looked around._ I'm not in the manor. _Then he realised where he was, and who was screaming their head off._ Shit! Granger!_

He jumped out of bed, grabbed his wand and ran straight over to Granger's room. She was squirming in her bed, but there was no one attacking her. She was screaming at a nightmare. He walked over to her.

'Granger! Wake up!'

No response. Just more screaming. He shook her lightly by her shoulders.

'Wake up, Granger. No one's attacking you.'

She opened her eyes and saw him standing next to her. Her current scream died out, but she carried on whimpering. He sat next to her on the bed.

'It's alright. There's no one else here.'

'Are you sure?' she asked him in a frightened whisper.

'I'm sure.'

'Okay.'

'You can go back to sleep now. We have a meeting tomorrow, remember?'

'Okay.'

'Hang on a minute. Let me fetch something.'

He walked over to his bedroom and grabbed a vial from one of his bags, before returning to her room.

'Here you go.'

'What's that?'

'Dreamless sleep potion. Open up.'

She opened her mouth slightly and he poured a drop into it.

'There we go. Sleep tight, Granger.'

'Okay.'

She fell asleep almost instantly. He sat with her for a while, until he was sure she was sleeping peacefully. Then he got up, walked back to his own bed, and promptly fell asleep.

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Hermione POV

Hermione woke up feeling extremely peaceful. She hadn't slept this well in days! She hummed while she got ready for work, and almost skipped to the kitchen.

'Well, Granger. We're in a happy mood today!'

She stopped humming and turned around to see Malfoy walking behind her. Suddenly, a hazy memory appeared in her mind. Malfoy comforting her. Malfoy giving her a potion. Malfoy sitting with her until she fell asleep.

'Malfoy?'

He gave her a strange look, before replying.

'Yes, that's me.'

'Did you come to my room last night?'

'Yes.'

'Oh. Well thanks. Again.'

'You're welcome, Granger. What's for breakfast?'

'That was a sudden change of topic.'

'I know.'

'Oh, right. God forbid you should ever admit to being _nice _to me.' she grinned.

'Granger.'

'Fine. Breakfast is whatever is in the fridge.'

'What in Merlin's name is a _fridge_?'

Hermione sighed. The wizarding world could be so ignorant sometimes.

'It's a muggle thing which keeps your food cold, so it stays fresh.'

'Why can't you just use a cooling charm?'

'Because it's much easier to put things straight in there instead of worrying about charms. Now go open it and find something to eat.'

Malfoy walked over to the fridge while she took out some cereal from the cupboard.

'Granger?'

'Yes?'

'How do you open this thing?'

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Hermione was still laughing when they reached work. Malfoy scowled.

'It really wasn't that funny.'

'It really was.'

'How?'

'You couldn't open the fridge!'

His scowl deepened.

'So?'

'It was just _funny, _Malfoy. Don't get your knickers in a twist,' she grinned. 'I'll see you in a while. I'm going to go talk to Harry and Ron.'

Still chuckling slightly, she walked over to Harry's office and let herself in.

'Hermione! Where did you go yesterday? We couldn't find you at lunch!'

'Oh, I didn't feel very well.'

'You should've let us know!'

'Yeah, I know, but I fell asleep as soon as I got home.'

'Oh. Feeling better then?'

'Yeah, think so. Listen, I've got a meeting after lunch which I have to prepare for, so I won't be able to have lunch with you and Ron.'

'Alright. Oh, wait. Ron will probably want to see you after your disappearance yesterday.'

He took a post-it from his desk, and scribbled a quick message on it. After a tap of his wand, it folded up into an aeroplane and zoomed off, out the door.

'Harry! You are so lazy! His office is literally ten metres away!'

'Why bother when you have magic?'

'I would expect you, of all-'

Harry was saved by Ron entering the office.

'Hermione!'

'Hi Ron!'

'Where'd you go yesterday?'

'Home. I wasn't feeling very well.'

'Better now?'

'Yeah.'

'Sure?'

'Stop worrying, Ron. I can practically see the worry lines on your forehead.'

Harry stood by, watching them with amusement.

'I still don't see why you aren't a married old couple with grandkids.'

'Well, I don't see why you're still ugly as hell.' Ron retorted with a smirk.

'I have to go now guys,' Hermione interrupted their bickering. 'I'll see you around!'

She left them with a small wave, and quickly walked over to Malfoy's office.

'Malfoy, I'm coming in.'

She opened the door and walked in, ignoring Malfoy's annoyed glare.

'I didn't say you could come in.'

'Well I came in anyway. We need to prepare for the meeting.'

'It's in four hours!' he replied incredulously.

'We still need to prepare.'

'Prepare what?!'

'What we need to say.'

'All we need to do is ask them about their opinions on how they should help with the project.'

'And other stuff.'

'There is no other stuff.'

'Yes there is.'

'No there bloody well isn't.'

'Yes there bloody well is.'

'Granger. All we need to do, is to ask them to join us. Maybe we have to talk about funding a little. That is _it_.'

'Fine! I'll do what you say, and we'll see how the meeting turns out, okay? It's going to be crap.'

And she stalked out, leaving an amused Malfoy behind her.

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**A/N Don't forget to review, guys! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**Hey guys! Nothing really happens in this chapter, except for a slight cliffie at the end, but I'm working on the next chapter! This chapter just needed to be here as a filler. I'd just like to warn you I have a LOT of tests in school right now, so I'm going to try and write a few chapters now and upload them one by one over the weeks, so you don't have to wait too long for each chapter. **

**As usual, thanks to everyone reading this, and please Review!**

Chapter 7.

Draco stood up from his desk, fifteen minutes before the meeting. _Better get ready now._ He walked out of his office, and walked straight into Hermione's like she had done earlier. Ignoring her glare, just like she had done earlier.

'Malfoy. I didn't let you in.'

'I didn't let you in earlier.'

'Well, I told you I was coming. You could've at least knocked.'

'I didn't want to.'

She sighed at him, for the second time that day.

'Malfoy, why are you here.'

'The meeting's in a quarter of an hour.'

She arched an eyebrow.

'So?'

'We need to prepare.'

She smirked.

'Prepare _what, _Malfoy?'

'The meeting. Obviously.'

'I didn't think you needed my help.'

He was getting irritated now.

'Granger. I said I didn't need your help four hours before the meeting. Now it's in fifteen minutes. _Now _we can get ready for it.'

'I told you. I'm. Not. Helping. You. I told you four hours ago, and I'm saying it again. I've decided on what I will say, do, and talk about. If you're not organised, it's not my problem.'

Draco was stuck. He had never actually organised a meeting before, Granger had done it all.

'Grang-'

'It's quite clear, Malfoy.'

'Granger.'

'What do you want _now_?'

He braced himself for the bout of humiliation that was about to eat him whole.

'I, um, don't actually know how to organise a meeting.'

She looked at him in shock, and then she smirked.

'You actually admitted it?'

'Yes.' He said, trying to keep his face impassive.

'You don't know how?'

'I don't.'

'And you need my help?'

He cringed as he replied, 'I do need your help.'

He had never felt so humiliated.

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**Hermione POV**

Hermione stood in front of her office mirror, examining her appearance two minutes before the meeting. She was wearing dark blue robes with the Auror crest on them. Her hair was tied up into a smart ponytail, and she wore practical black slip-ons from the muggle world. She looked ready for an informal meeting between departments.

_I should go to the meeting room now. _

She left her office and began walking over to the small conference room, designed for small meetings.

'Malfoy, I'm here.'

He came into view as she walked in, standing by the long table.

'Granger.'

'Yes?'

'I would like to say thanks.' he said stiffly.

She looked at him for a moment. He was always so proper, being raised in a pure-blood household. Suddenly she realised that this was a perfect chance to humiliate him further. She smirked at him.

'For what, Malfoy?' she asked sweetly.

He groaned.

'Please don't make this hard, Granger. You know full well what I'm thanking you for.'

She gave in at the pained look on his face, and began laughing.

'Merlin, Malfoy, why do you always need to make life harder for yourself. You really don't need to formally say thank you.'

'It's only proper.' he muttered.

Their conversation was interrupted by a small, portly woman, and a tall sandy haired man entering the open conference room door. They were wearing robes with crests from the Department of International Magical Co-operation.

They had decided to invite three departments: The department of law enforcement (the improper use of magic office), the department of International Magical Co-operation, and the new department which didn't actually have a name yet.

Hermione immediately walked over to greet them.

'Hello, I'm Hermione.' She said while shaking the woman's hand.

'Good afternoon, Miss Granger. I'm Penny Nutt, Department of International Magical Co-operation.'

'Pleasure to meet you.'

She then shook hands with the man.

'Hello, Miss Granger. I'm Andrew Borage.'

'Pleasure to meet you too. Please, both of you, call me Hermione.'

She stepped back as Malfoy greeted them in a polite, proper and professional way. _He would make a good businessman, _she mused

'Please, sit down.' She gestured at the table.

'Help yourself to snacks.' Malfoy added as plates of Pumpkin Pasties and Cauldron cakes appeared. She allowed herself a private smug smile. They had been her idea.

Next came Mafalda Hopkirk, from the Improper Use of Magic office. They both greeted her accordingly, and she too, sat down. Soon Mafalda, Penny, and Andrew were chatting amiably.

A minute later, someone came in, panting slightly, and apologising for being late. It was Mandy Brocklehurst, from the new department. She had been in Ravenclaw while Hermione had been in Hogwarts, a year above her.

'Don't worry, Mandy. Why don't you take a seat and catch your breath.' She told her kindly.

'Yes, thanks Hermione. My colleague will be here shortly, I think he's running slightly late.'

'Alright, well, we'll get started now, and they can come in during the explanation.'

They all nodded, and there were a few murmurs of assent. Hermione walked across the room and softly closed the door.

Malfoy cleared his throat and stood up.

'As you know, we've been finding any remaining Death Eaters around the country, since the war. We have managed to find a fair few so far, but the few that are left will be hardest to find. We would like to involve your different departments in our search. We'll talk to each of you separately, concerning your department, and then we can discuss ministry funding and the likes. Although we could request inter-departmental aid through the minister himself, it would be much easier we agreed together without having to go through the appeal process, and then just inform him of our plans, which he'll probably agree to. Would you be willing to aid us?'

He looked at the four people sitting in front of him. The first to speak was Penny.

'I imagine our department should be fine with it. As a spokes-person, I can't decide for the whole department, but I will agree to talk to the senior members and tell them that I agree.'

Andrew nodded in agreement.

Mafalda was just about to speak when they heard hurried footsteps coming near.

'I imagine that should be my colleague.' said Mandy, looking towards the door. They all turned towards the door, waiting to welcome the new member.

It soon burst open, followed by a relieved exclamation on Mandy's part, a look of pleasant surprize on Draco's, and a look of horror on Hermione's. The person walking hurriedly into the room was none other than Theodore Nott.

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**Like? Don't like? Leave a review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**

**Hey! This is a REALLY short chapter. It doesn't even count as a chapter. But it had to be on it's own, sorry. I'm uploading Chapter 9 right now too though so don't worry, you do get to read an actual chapter...**

**Review!**

**AK47 xx**

Chapter 8

Hermione stood in shock as he walked into the room. He walked over to them, apologising for being late.

'Theo! I didn't know it was you working in the new department! Have a seat!' Malfoy exclaimed.

Nott came over and shook hands with everyone there except for Hermione, who was successfully managing to blend in at the edge of the table. It was going well until Malfoy saw her and decided to introduce her.

'Granger, come over here! Theo, remember Granger?'

Nott turned around with a surprised look which was hidden in a split second.

'Of course. It's been a while, Granger.'

He shook her hand, and she almost collapsed then and there. But she knew she couldn't. She couldn't be weak when she had to run away. She could see the anger and curiosity burning behind his eyes. She had to get out. Now.

'Malfoy, I, uh, excuse me.'

And she walked out, using all her willpower to not break into a run before she left the conference room. Once she was out though, she ran like the wind. She had to be far away from him. Somewhere where he couldn't find her. It was all she could think as she ran: _Have to get away. Have to._ Her heart was pounding in her ears as she ran down two flights of emergency stairs, hyperventilating.

Soon, she couldn't run any more. She had to collapse. There was no one in this dark, empty basement corridor. He wouldn't look for her here. She sat down on the cold floor, sobs wracking her body. She hadn't even realised she was crying.

He would find her here. He would torture her again. He would probably kill her this time. These thoughts were circling her head like vultures, constantly pecking at her brain.

_How has it come to this? _she thought to herself. She was Hermione Granger, for Merlin's sake! She was a strong woman, who had gone through so much. She was never afraid. So why was she so afraid now? She felt weak, being so scared of him. She hated feeling weak. But the thing was, she couldn't do anything about it. All she was capable of doing now was being afraid, collapsing, and crying.

She hated him for reducing her to this. She hated him with every fibre of her terrified being.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N  
**

**Here's the ACTUAL chapter guys...**

**Can I just say a huuuuge thanks to everyone who's reviewed, followed, and favourited this story. I wouldn't keep writing if you didn't! And please, if you read ANY spelling mistakes or missing full stops, please tell me, because I sometimes don't notice them. And they really annoy me when I do see them **

**Also, I might not be updating in the next two weeks, I have exams. But I'll upload extra in Half Term!  
**

**Review!**

**AK47 xx**

Chapter 9

Draco was quite happy to know he'd be working with Theo for the next few months. After all, he was quite a close friend, and someone he fully trusted. It would be great to have a few more laughs in the office. They definitely needed some more Slytherins in there. He had spent enough time with only Granger to talk to at work.

Where was she anyway? She had vanished quite abruptly after Theo had appeared. Typical Gryffindor behaviour. Run away when Slytherins got involved. He decided to go to her office to talk to her about the new deal. And, of course, irritate her about running away from the new Slytherin she had to work with.

He barged in with a smug look, only to see that the chair was empty. Huh. Probably in Potter's office.

'Potter!' he shouted as he walked through the hallway.

He walked into Potter's office and looked around. She wasn't here either.

'Malfoy? What the hell are you doing in here?'

'Where's Granger?'

'I thought she was in a meeting with you.'

'Yeah, she was. But then she vanished.'

'Hermione doesn't just _vanish._'

'Well, she has!'

'Malfoy, leave her alone. She doesn't need you following her every move.'

After leaving Potter's office, he walked briskly back to his own. _Maybe she went back to her apartment. Should I check? _

He debated with himself for a few minutes before deciding that he would check there. After a second of being squeezed unpleasantly, he arrived in the lounge. She wasn't in there.

'Granger!'

No answer. He walked through the rooms, still calling her name. Still no answer. Suddenly a thought struck him. What if her torturer had found her? _SHIT._ How was he supposed to find her? Where could she be?

Draco began worrying as he thought of all the things that could've happened to her. He was meant to be keeping her _safe_. He exhaled deeply, pushing his hand through his hair. _Stay calm. _He had to think of ways he could find her.

An idea appeared in his mind. If he sent her a patronus, he could follow it and see where it went! Why had no one in the wizarding world ever thought of that? Honestly. It would've been so easy to find dark wizards. But then again, then the dark wizards would know if someone was looking for them. What if Granger's torturer was still with her? They'd see the patronus. But it was the only way he could find her! He could only try, and hope for the best.

'_Expecto Patronum!'_

A silver dragon flew majestically from his wand tip, soaring into the air. It wasn't the size a real dragon would be, but still around the same size as Draco.

He sent a message to Granger saying he was coming, and with a flick of his wand, the patronus began flying away, and vanished into thin air. Damn. He summoned his broom, and sent another Patronus, this time without a message. This one vanished after thirty seconds. He kept casting Patronus after Patronus, following their direction.

After a few minutes of high speed flying, he ended up at the Ministry. _What? Granger's at the Ministry?_ But she hadn't been there when he had looked! Maybe he was overreacting. _Or maybe she's somewhere else in the Ministry. _

He cast a disillusionment charm on himself and his broom as he flew through the atrium, over the heads of unsuspecting ministry officials.

He flew after his latest Patronus, following it down to some stairs that hadn't been used in years. It vanished, so he cast another one, following it swiftly down two flights of stairs. He kept casting them as they lead him deeper and deeper underground.

He was beginning to doubt his Patronus. It was dark and empty down here, and just as he was sure they couldn't go any deeper, it leapt down another flight of stairs, which he warily followed.

A small noise was heard. He stopped and listened intently. Another one.

'_Lumos!' _

Light erupted from his wand tip. Someone suddenly began sobbing hard, and mumbling something. He looked through the light to see Granger huddled by a wall a few metres away.

Relief swept through him. She was alive. He hurried to her shaking form.

'Granger.' he said, relieved.

'Leave me alone, please! Don't torture me again! Leave me alone!' she whispered at him, scooting away.

'I'm not going to hurt you. It's me.'

At his voice, she slowly looked up at him, but carried on shaking with sobs. He sat down next to her.

'Did they hurt you again?'

She shook her head through her sobs._ What? _Why was she down here if no one had hurt her?

'So why're you here?'

She shook her head again, and carried on sobbing. He decided he wouldn't ask her any more questions right now, as she was obviously in no state to answer them. He simply sat with her, and put his arm around her shaking form.

'It's alright, Granger. No one's going to hurt you.'

She didn't say anything. She just took his support and leant against him, still shaking.

'We should go now.'

No response. He stood up, and pulled her weak form with him. Then he placed one hand under her knee, the other behind her back, and lifted her up. She burrowed her head into his chest as he walked over to his broom.

He decided that he would fly with her in front, where he could hold onto her so she wouldn't fall. Trying to keep her supported in his arms, he lifted his right arm slightly, and the broom jumped up towards him.

Slowly, he lifted one of his legs and sat on the broom. Then he managed to move Granger into a sitting position in front of him, leaning her back on his chest. She instantly turned around slightly to cry into his arm. After making sure she wasn't going to fall off, secure in his arms, he cast a disillusionment charm on himself, her, and the broom.

_Time to get home, _he thought as he took off.

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**Awww Dramione 3**

**Leave a review :)  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**

**Hi! I'm back from my exam break! This is the chapter where Draco begins to realise his feelings! Yay! Otherwise, it doesn't have much stuff going on but I'm gonna try and upload another one in the next few days, so yeah. **

**Let me know if you see any grammatical errors, and please review!**

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Chapter 10

He couldn't disapparate straight out of the ministry, or the disapparition monitors would see that he was leaving with Granger. So he flew straight to the exit, holding an already sleeping Granger in front of him. He was trying as hard as he could to hold her securely. It was quite a task though, because she kept twisting and turning in his arms.

Soon they landed outside. Holding the Granger and the broom tightly, he spun on the spot and disapparated to the apartment.

Draco appeared in the living room, losing his balance slightly with the way his arms were wrapped around Granger and the broom. She was moving even more now, after the uncomfortable sensation of apparating. She was also mumbling quietly. He let go of his broom and slowly lowered her onto her sofa.

He covered her with a blanket, and fetched a glass of water from the kitchen.

'Granger. Open up.'

He managed to coax her mouth open, and sat her up slightly as poured water in her mouth. After she finished the glass he gently lowered back into a comfortable sleeping position. Soon her mumbling stopped and her breathing evened out.

He sat on the floor next to the sofa, watching her. Making sure she was alright. He was worried about her.

But when had he begun caring? He couldn't work it out. All he knew was that he cared. And he was worried. He simply sat there on the floor for the next hour, watching her face for any sign of unease.

Suddenly she shuddered. Draco instantly stood up.

'Don't hurt me again.' she whispered.

'I'm not going to, Granger.' He tried to make her hear him. Let her know she was safe.

She didn't hear him.

'Please don't. Please Nott.'

Draco's eyes widened in shock. Nott? But they had captured the elder Nott. He was still in prison, wasn't he? And it couldn't have been Theo. It just couldn't. He trusted Theo. He was his friend. No. Granger had said the wrong name. He had to ask her.

'Granger?'

She carried on murmuring Theo's last name. He knelt down next to her and gently shook her.

'Granger. Wake up.'

Her eyes opened a fraction, and she slowly sat up, curling her legs under her.

'Malfoy?'

He sat down on the sofa next to her.

'I found you collapsed in the ministry. In the deepest, darkest, unused corridor. What were you doing there?'

'Nothing.'

'Well it was evidently something.'

She didn't reply.

'Granger. Tell me. I'm here to help you. Were you attacked today again?'

She shook her head.

'Then why were you there?'

No reply.

'Fine. I just have to ask you something.'

She shrugged.

'Was your attacker Theo?'

She suddenly looked up at him, fear in her eyes.

'Theo? You call him Theo? You're friends? Oh Merlin, you're in it with him aren't you? I knew I shouldn't have trusted you!' She began hyperventilating and attempted to get off the sofa, but she got herself tangled in the blanket.

'Let me go!' she screamed. She tried punching him but he caught her wrist before it hit her. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the wrist aiming for his stomach. He made a small grunt as she winded him, but carried on trying to pin her down.

'Granger! Calm down! What in Merlin's name is wrong with you?!'

He finally succeeded in controlling her flailing limbs.

'Leave me alone! Don't hurt me! Please!' she cried out, sobbing.

'I'm not going to hurt you.' He told her reassuringly. He slowly got off the sofa and threw his wand to the other side of the room.

'See? Not going to hurt you.'

She seemed to slowly come to her senses, realising who he was.

'Granger. Tell me something.' This was a phrase he seemed to be saying quite a bit recently.

She simply carried on looking at him in a slightly mistrustful way.

'Did Nott attack you?'

She nodded, hiccupping slightly.

Draco couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. He refused.

'You must have seen wrong.'

'It was definitely him.' she said quietly.

'No. Theo wouldn't-'

'Well he did.'

'No.'

'Look in a pensieve then.'

'Fine.'

Draco walked across the room, picked up his wand, and summoned Hermione's pensieve. The small basin came flying towards him.

'Can I use your wand?'

'Why? Where's yours?'

'I don't have it. He does.'

He frowned.

'Why didn't you tell me?'

'I forgot.'

'Okay. We'll sort that out later.'

He handed his wand over and held the pensieve out to her. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled out a silvery strand from her temple.

'Here.' she whispered.

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**Next chapter coming soon! I'll try and make it long!**

**Until then,**

**AK47 ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N**

**Hey guys! Another chapter this week! I just had to give you another one because the last one was so short and hardly anything happened...**

**And I'm glad to say since I have no more exams and a few more days of holiday, I'll be writing away like mad! So maybe I'll get another chapter to you this week.**

**And finally, THANK YOU to everyone who has reviewed, followed, or favourited this story. It makes me ridiculously happy. Can I just say, when I saw the review by aedolphin, I was overcome by how sweet it was. You were getting upset that I hadn't updated, and it's so weird knowing people are waiting for me to write. And FandomsUnite98, I always know you're going to review, and I instantly know it's you when it's in capitals :'). I'd also like to say thanks to jbarbosa12, .3,, dutch potterfan, and writer0906;). It's because of all you guys I carry on writing. I would list everyone who favourited and followed, but I can't write them all out on here :/ But I love you all too!  
**

**Keep reviewing guys!**

**On with Chapter 11 then.**

* * *

Chapter 11

Draco was falling through the memory. He landed outside a small apothecary in Diagon Alley, seeing Granger walking towards it. She suddenly turned around, only to be disarmed, and held from behind by Goyle. Draco wasn't shocked to see him there. He had never had the potential of being good. Or bright. Draco then turned to see who it was who had disarmed her.

Granger had been right. There stood Theo, smirking and holding her wand. When he threw the first Cruciatus, Draco fell to his knees. On the next few, he attempted to shield Granger. And after that, he simply sat on the ground, unable to believe that Theo had done this.

Theo was a man Draco would have trusted with his _life._ He was always so thoughtful and funny. One of his best friends. He watched as his friend grinned and tortured an innocent woman. He sat numbly for the rest of the memory. He couldn't think straight. Theo. It couldn't be Theo.

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**HPOV**

Hermione sat on the couch while she waited for Malfoy. What if he took his friend's side? What if agreed with Nott, that she was just a mudblood?

She was brought out of her worried thoughts by a reappearing Malfoy. He looked terrible. His hair was messed up, his robes were crumpled, and his grey eyes looked dull.

'Malfoy?' she asked tentatively, 'You okay?'

He looked at her for a few moments with no expression. Then he asked her a question.

'How can you be sure it wasn't polyjuice?'

She smiled sadly at him, knowing that he knew full well what she was going to say.

'My penseive is an Auror penseive. It would detect signs of polyjuice and warn you. It would warn you of any signs of confundus and Imperius too. If it wasn't Nott, you would have been the first to know, Malfoy. You know that.'

'No.' he whispered before sinking to the floor.

He didn't cry. He didn't shout. He just shook his head with a blank expression on his face. Hermione watched him for a second before getting off the couch and walking over to him. She sat next to him on the floor and put an arm around him.

'Hey, Malfoy.'

He didn't acknowledge that she had spoken. She didn't try again. Instead she just sat with him, supporting him like he had done before.

She didn't know what had come over her before. She knew Malfoy would never hurt her. She trusted him. She trusted him utterly and completely, she realised with a smile growing on her face.

'Granger.' he spoke suddenly.

'Yeah?'

'We should go tell the ministry.'

'No.'

He suddenly turned to look her in the eyes. She could see the anger in his grey eyes.

'Granger. They need to know. What he did was wrong, evil, and illegal if nothing else. You can't let him get away with this.'

'I know Malfoy.' she sighed. 'We will tell them, I promise. But we have to find out if he's working with others. Because if he is, and they find out that he got caught, they can still come after us. They'll get you too, after realising you helped turn him in.'

'But we bloody work with him now. I'll kill him!'

She sighed again, bringing her arm off his shoulders and turning to face him.

'I know. It's going to be hard, Malfoy, but we have to try.'

'But look what seeing him did to you yesterday! It's not healthy for you to be near him!'

'Yes, but we're Aurors. He's dangerous, and regardless of what he's done to me personally, I have to turn him in _with_ everyone he's working with. We can't leave dangerous criminals to roam free.'

It was his turn to sigh.

'I can't. I can't go to work and not kill the bastard.'

'Yes you can. And besides, you have to stay composed or I won't have anyone to rely on.'

He smiled slightly at that.

'I thought you didn't want to have to rely on me.'

'Shut up.'

He grinned, but then suddenly he was serious again.

'Are you sure you don't want to tell Potter and Weasley now? I'm sure they won't blow up.'

'I don't know.'

'I think you should.'

'I don't think I can. I don't want to put them in danger.'

'Fine.'

'Malfoy?'

'Yeah.'

'Won't the ministry think it's weird that we both missed half a working day?'

'Oh yeah… oh well. I'll just say I kidnapped you.'

She laughed at that.

'No, seriously. What's our cover then?'

'We saw something suspicious on our monitor and apparated right over to Diagon Alley to check it out.'

'Okay. That's a good back up.'

'I know. I'll send a patronus to tell them.'

After he sent it, she turned to him nervously.

'Do you think I'll be able to do this? Acting fine around him?'

'You tell me.'

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**A/N **

**Hope you liked it! See you soon (hopefully),**

**AK47 :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**

**Hey! Another chapter here! As usual, thanks to EVERYONE who reads, reviews, favourites, and follows. Please let me know if you see ANY errors, and also feel free to ask any questions. Enjoy the chapter!**

**[Disclaimer: Stuff you recognise belongs to the amazing J. .]**

Chapter 12

**NOTTPOV**

Granger. Alive. That filthy mudblood was still alive. He couldn't believe it. She didn't have the right to live, yet she was. Even after he had ensured her death. Yet she had cheated him. She hadn't bloody died.

But now he was coming for her. She would die. Her wand would be key in this adventure. And this time, there would be _no _mistake.

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**HPOV**

She woke up with a sore neck, leaning against something hard and warm. For a moment she was slightly confused, but then she realised what it was. Malfoy's shoulder. She turned her head up slightly to see his head leaning back slightly onto the sofa. He was going to have a very stiff neck too then.

The shoulder under her head felt very muscular.

After debating with herself for a while, she finally gave in to herself, and peaked down at his chest. His muscles looked quite defined through his shirt. She couldn't deny that. She felt a blush spreading across her cheeks as she realised what she was thinking. _Merlin forbid anyone should ever find out._

_Anyway. Time to get up. _

'Malfoy. Wake up.' she said while nudging him slightly.

'Hmm?'

'Wake up.'

He frowned in his sleep and tried to shift away,

'Malfoy! Get up!'

This time she wacked him on his arm. He awoke and glared at her groggily.

'What was that for?'

'You weren't waking up!'

'So?'

'So, you needed to wake up!'

'No I didn't! It's Saturday!'

'Oh yeah.'

They sat in silence while he glared stonily at her.

'Well at least go sleep on an actual bed. You'll just get very stiff joints sitting here.'

He looked confused for a minute before looking around and realising where they were.

'We fell asleep here?'

'Of course not. We just appeared here.' she replied sarcastically.

'You don't need to be so smart-arse about everything, Granger.'

She smirked at him.

'Yeah I do, Malfoy.'

'Shut up. I'm going to bed.'

And he got up and walked to his room, leaving Hermione to think in silence about the night before. Would she be able to cope, working with Nott? Surely not. How would she do it? And would Malfoy be able to control his emotions? All these questions. And no answer yet.

Suddenly Malfoy hurried into the living room.

'Malfoy? I thought you went to sleep?'

He looked worried and ignored her question.

'Granger. He's got your wand hasn't he?'

She nodded, feeling apprehensive of what he was going to say next.

He cursed under his breath.

'Come here.'

'Why?' she asked, feeling a bit surprised.

'Because there are a lot of things that a dark wizard can do with a wand. I would know. I need to put protection spells on you.'

She slowly stood up and walked towards him.

'I can't believe I didn't ask before yesterday.' he asked her, looking agitated.

'I thought you noticed!'

He sighed and raised his wand.

'Let's just hope he hasn't tried too much yet.'

And he began casting a number of odd spells on her without speaking, weaving intricate patterns around her. She instantly became curious.

'What is this?'

He looked up from his spell-casting to answer.

'Dark magic invented by dark wizards who didn't want other dark wizards to harm them.'

'Oh.'

She stayed silent after that, knowing he needed to concentrate.

Soon he flourished his wand one last time, making all the colours around her vanish. Except one purple strand around her torso.

Any colour he had drained from his face as he stared at the purple wisp of magic surrounding her.

She became very scared all of a sudden.

'What's wrong?' she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

He looked up from the strand of magic which slowly vanished.

'He's already cast some magic on you using your wand.'

She began panicking slightly. He noticed her expression and guided her to the sofa, where he sat her down and sat next to her.

'Don't panic. You're lucky he's only cast this one so far. It's not too dangerous yet. We can check what it's done so far and stop it.'

'How?'

'By checking the Malfoy library. I know it will have some reference to this.'

'But what does this magic do?'

'It can bring hallucinations or nightmares at controlled moments. So he could suddenly show you something terrifying and make you vulnerable to an attack.'

The blood drained from her face.

He read her face again and quickly reassured her.

'It's alright. We just need to find the references. But until then, just make sure you don't go anywhere alone, especially in the Ministry. And don't be afraid to tell me if you begin seeing more than the usual nightmare.'

She simply nodded, not saying a word as she looked at the floor, trying to keep her panic at bay.

He got off the sofa and crouched down so that he was looking into her eyes.

'Hey, Granger. Don't worry. You'll be fine.'

'No I won't.' she whispered. 'No I won't. I could tell you were scared when you saw it! It's dangerous Malfoy, and you know it. I can't cope with any more nightmares than usual. I can't!' her voice began breaking and she choked back a sob.

He was instantly next to her, his arm around her shoulder.

'Yes you can. Because you are Hermione Granger. You are a strong woman who doesn't let anyone bring you down. And you have me whenever you need me. I was only afraid because I know it means he knows about dark wand magic. But this is all he's done so far and we can stop it. Don't let someone like Nott reduce you to this.' he said in a firm tone.

Hermione suddenly felt much stronger and more capable. She wouldn't let him bring her down. Not without a fight.

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**Hope you liked it!**

**Until next time then, **

**AK47 :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**

**Hey guys! Another chapter here, woohoo!  
**

**Enjoy :)**

**[Disclaimer- I do not own the Harry Potter series. I just write fanfiction.]**

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Chapter 13

DPOV

'Granger!' he called from the hallway.

'I'm coming!'

He waited another minute, beginning to get impatient.

'Granger if you don't get out here-'

'I'm here! Shut up!' she exclaimed as she appeared out of her bedroom.

'Right, come on then.'

He held out his arm to her for side-along apparition.

'Remember, don't let go of me and keep the destination in mind. Malfoy Manor is extremely hard to enter by apparition.'

He felt her grab hold of his arm.

'Ready?' he asked.

'Ready.'

Suddenly they were being pressed through an uncomfortable sensation. He knew it would be even worse for Granger, due to her blood status. The Malfoy wards made it very hard for someone like her to enter.

The sensation was soon over, and they appeared in one of the parlours in the manor. As soon as they appeared, he felt Granger collapse against him, panting slightly.

'You alright, Granger?' he asked, holding her as she steadied herself.

'What on _earth_ is wrong with your wards!?'

'Sorry about that. The Malfoy wards are really old, and they affect you more depending on your blood status.'

'And you didn't tell me before because…?'

'I did! I said it's extremely hard to enter by apparition.'

'Well you could have specified the blood status bit.'

'I just didn't want you to panic before we apparated. That makes it even worse.'

'Oh.'

Just then, his mother came sweeping through the doorway.

'Draco. Would you like to explain why you've been standing in this room for the past few minutes? Is there something you're not telling me?'

He rolled his eyes at her overreaction.

'Good morning, Mother. May I introduce you to Granger?'

His mother only seemed to notice Granger at that moment.

'Oh! Miss Granger, pleasure to meet you! But still Draco, why have you been standing here for the past few minutes?'

'Mum. Calm down. I'm not hiding something drastic from you. We only took a few minutes because of the apparition wards.'

For a minute his mother looked confused, but then she seemed to put the pieces together in her head.

'Ah. Of course. Well, come on in then.'

As his mother swept out of the room, he realised that Granger was still holding his arm. She seemed to realise too, and they quickly separated their limbs.

'Thanks for the help.' she muttered.

'No problem.'

'Draco?' his mother called from in front.

'Yes?'

'Why are you here?'

Could she have been any blunter?

'We have to find some references to some things in the library.'

His mother suddenly turned around and pursed her lips.

'Draco, if I could just have a word? Miss Granger, would you mind waiting in the parlour over there for a few minutes?'

He frowned. What was his mother up to?

'Of course, Mrs Malfoy. This one here?'

'Yes, that's the one.'

As soon as Granger was out of earshot, his mother turned to him with a concerned look in her face.

'Draco, why is she here?'

'What do you mean? Do you not like having her here?'

'It's not me that doesn't like her. You don't like her. And if you are trying to do anything petty out of spite, I want you to stop right now.'

Well that was offensive.

'I am genuinely offended that you think I would do that, Mother. And I don't dislike her.'

'Then why is she here?'

'Because we need to research something.'

'Oh? And what would that be?'

'Some stuff.'

He sighed.

'Considering that what you're looking for is in our library, it must be something that is not in others. Which means it's probably dark. Why on earth are you looking for dark references with a muggle-born?'

'Granger and I need to research some things to do with our work.'

She looked at him for a few moments before relaxing her features.

'Alright. I believe you. Just be careful. There are still a few places in this manor that don't take kindly to blood like hers.'

'Yes, we'll be careful.'

And they walked over to the parlour where Granger was waiting. He opened the door for his mother and they walked through the double doors.

Granger wasn't in the parlour.

'Granger?'

No response was heard. He turned to face his mother.

'Are you sure you told her to go to this one?'

'Definitely. I saw her walk in.'

Oh Merlin. Where on earth had she gone?

His mother suddenly gasped.

'What if she's gone to one of the ancestral corridors?'

Horror flooded through him as he thought of the implications.

'Shit.' was all he said before sprinting to the other side of the parlour to the other door.

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HPOV

Hermione was hopelessly lost. She probably shouldn't have left the parlour. But the thing was, she couldn't have stayed in there. As soon as she had step foot in it, she had realised that it was the one from seventh year. The one where Bellatrix had tortured her. She couldn't wait in there. Not while she was still upset about a more recent memory.

So then she had walked out the other door, not wanting to cause a fuss when Malfoy was talking to his mum. She had decided to wait outside the parlour door, knowing that she would hear them when they came back in.

But then suddenly, the bit of floor she had been standing on had risen, twisted and moved, and now she had no idea where she was.

'Mudblood… Sullying the air in our house…'

She instantly looked around to see who had spoken. She couldn't see anyone. The word mudblood made her panic slightly, but she calmed herself down with a few deep breaths.

'Who said that?' she said out loud, trying to sound confident.

'Get out…Get out…'

Okay. Now she was scared. There were no paintings in this hallway, so that wasn't the source. She couldn't make out any ghosts either, but then again, the place was very dimly lit. So what could it be?

'_Lumos._'

Tentatively, she began walking down the corridor, hoping she would be able to find her way to the entrance of the manor.

'Out… Leave… Filth…'

She carried on walking, ignoring the whispers.

All of a sudden, she was accosted by a number of grey spirits, flying at her with angry looks on their faces. Her wand flew out of her hand and she fell to the floor screaming.

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DPOV

A scream was heard from the upper floors of the manor. He swore as he realised where the sound was coming from, and turned on the spot.

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**A/N**

**Hope you liked it!**

**Please review! It inspires me to upload faster! Until next week, **

**AK47 :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**

**I'm so sorry I didn't upload last weekend, I was away and then I never got round to writing the chapter during the week. So instead, I'm uploading two today! Yay!**

**I've realised through a review that Draco changed way too fast, so I've beem going back and changing a few of the things he says and does in the first few chapters. The first chapters are terribly written. I might re-write them...**

**Anyway, I hope you like these chapters! **

**Please review, I'm up at half twelve in the morning uploading this ;)**

* * *

Chapter 14

She couldn't breathe. She was surrounded by an icy cold sensation which was smothering her, freezing her lungs. Her limbs were slowly becoming numb as hissing whispers floated in and out of her brain.

'_Mudblood.'_

'_Filthhh.'_

She struggled to think clearly through the icy fog clouding her brain. What was going on? Her teeth began chattering, and still the spirits didn't stop accosting her. They flew around her, surrounding her in an icy blanket. Her breaths became slow and laboured, and she could hear them hissing in triumph.

'_Kill.'_

'_Leave.'_

An inky patch of darkness came towards her through the silvery haze. It began shrouding her, blocking out all other feelings. Slowly, she lost all her thoughts, drifting away into a sea of nothingness.

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DPOV

Draco saw them as soon as he appeared in the hallway. They were surrounding Granger, who was lying on the floor, her lips a nasty shade of blue. _No._

He sprinted towards her, scattering the spirits as he went. They hissed at him, whispering names and insults. He didn't pay any attention to them. They couldn't affect him. They were of the same flesh and blood as him.

He knelt down and picked Granger up from the floor, holding her close so she would warm up faster. He had to get her away from this place. He cursed under his breath. _How did she even get here in the first place?_

He decided not to use apparition, due to the blood wards on the Manor, deciding to run towards the nearest guest room instead. As soon as he began running, the sprits began following, trying to snatch Granger from him. He had to manoeuvre her into one arm for a moment so he could grab his wand from his pocket.

'_Vadam.'_

The spirits recoiled and hissed as they were sent away by an invisible force. He knew they wouldn't actually be gone, as they were bound to the Manor. They were probably just being herded into some old room in an unused wing for now. He'd have to deal with them later.

He kicked open a large door and hurried towards the bed, where he laid her down. He pulled the duvet over her and muttered a heating charm to hurry up the process.

Just then his Mother appeared in the doorway, a concerned expression on her face.

'Where did you find her?'

'The ancestral corridor.'

She grimaced and walked into the room, standing next to him.

'Why was she there?'

'I have no bloody clue.'

'Language. How close did they get to her?'

'They had almost frozen her to death by the time I arrived. I don't even know how long she'll take to warm up again.'

'We really do need to find a way to control them.'

He turned to face his mother. 'Why can't we just get rid of them?'

'Because they're part of the Manor. They're your family, Draco-'

'I don't give a damn about whether they're my family, Mum. Bellatrix was part of our _family._ That didn't change how evil she was.'

His mother flinched slightly at the mention of her late sister, but he carried on speaking.

'They're no family of mine. Not if they go around smothering innocent people for no reason.'

'I know.' she responded. 'You misunderstood me, Draco. I'm not saying I like them. But don't you think Lucius would have got rid of them straight after the war if he could? It's a very hard task, vanishing something that's bound to your home, to your blood. They're your family whether you like it or not.'

'We'll find a way.'

She smiled at his determination.

'Okay. We will.'

And she walked out the room, leaving Draco to his thoughts.

Why could he never be in time to save Granger? Why did he always find her after she was hurt? He sat down on the bed next to her, his head in his hands. If they hadn't come to the Manor, she wouldn't have been attacked. Now she had something else to have nightmares about. Great.

_You're doing a great job, Draco. In the past week, you've found her on the floor in two dark corridors. And she's even been attacked by something else! Two different types of attacks! Well done! You're so good at protecting people._

He felt like a bit of a failure, to be honest. He lifted his head to look at her. Her lips were regaining some colour, but they were still tinged with a bit of blue.

He reached over to check her pulse. Her wrist was still ice cold. He could feel a weak pulse under the icy veins. Frowning, he picked up the other wrist. It was ice cold too. How come the heating charm was working on her lips but not her hands?

He cautiously touched her lips, checking how warm they were.

They weren't warm at all. He ignored the feeling that came over him as he touched her lips. He had to focus on helping her for now.

A horrible thought came to him. She was just so cold that even the blue had gone. Was that even possible? Regardless, that was way too cold. Surely she couldn't survive if she stayed this cold for much longer.

He ignored the feeling that came over him as he touched her lips. He had to focus on helping her for now.

He quickly cast another heating charm, hoping that this one would work. But instead of just relying on magic, he knew he had to do something else too. Slowly, he put his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, hoping against hopes that his body heat would warm her up.

'Come on.' he muttered.

He didn't know how long he lay there, praying that she'd wake up. He cast numerous different charms, hoping they would help.

Slowly, she began regaining some heat. He could feel the warmth returning slightly to her limbs, causing him to sigh in relief, thanking Merlin she was fine.

He sat up when he was sure she would be fine, and wrapped her up snugly in the duvet. He didn't need to invade her privacy more than was necessary.

Draco stood up and began pacing the room. He had to tell Potter and Weasley. They had kept her safe all through school. Seven years. He hadn't even been able to keep her safe for one week.

Why had she been there anyway? Why had she left the drawing room?

His thoughts were interrupted by a small groan and a rustle from the bed behind him. He turned instantly and hurried to the large double bed.

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**Hope you liked it!**

**AK47**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N**

**Another chapter! Enjoy, and review please!**

**[Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series. Obviously.]**

* * *

Chapter 15

HPOV

The first thing she felt was a spark of warmth in her lips. A small island of heat in an ocean of freezing, glacial waters.

Slowly, she began to thaw. First the right side of her body, and then the left. Something was holding her. Something warm. She felt relieved that she didn't have to suffer in icy storm of her mind any more. Now there was something warm. Something to keep her warm.

No. The warmth was gone. She was still warm, but the object was gone. _Come back. Whatever you are. _Where was she anyway? All she could see was pitch black. She tried straining her eyes, but then realised they were shut. _Oh. _

_Come on. _She willed her eyes to open, but they seemed glued shut. She groaned, trying as hard as she could to separate her stubborn eyelashes. She vaguely registered movement near her, but she ignored it, concentrating on opening her eyes. Eventually, she managed to open them.

The first thing she saw was Malfoy. He was watching her with a concerned expression. As soon as he saw that her eyes were open, his face relaxed a bit.

'How're you feeling?'

She began replying, but all that left her mouth was a croak. Her throat was rough and cold. Frost lined the walls of her throat. She began coughing lightly, trying to clear her throat of the chill.

He was next to her in a second, handing her some warm water. She gratefully drank it, thankful for the warm substance entering her body.

'Thanks,' she managed to croak out.

'No problem.'

She smiled at him as he sat down next to her.

'Granger?'

'Yes?'

'Why in the name of Merlin did you feel the need to leave the parlour?'

She felt her smile vanish.

'I, um. I- I couldn't stay in there.'

Her throat felt slightly rough again, and she drank some more water from the glass in her hand. He frowned slightly in confusion.

'Why?'

'Bad memories.' She looked away as she spoke.

She heard a sharp intake of breath, and looked back up at him, knowing he had made the connection.

'Oh, Merlin, Granger. I am so sorry. I can't believe I forgot. I'm so sorry-'

'It's fine, don't worry! People forget things sometimes!'

'No, it's really not fine, Granger. I'm such a fucking idiot. I can't believe I was so thick.'

'Malfoy, stop it.'

'No! I can't stop it! I'm not helping you in the slightest!'

'Yes you are!'

'How?'

'No one else knows about Nott! You've been here for me this past week!'

'Well that's exactly the point. No one else knows. So I'm the _only _option. And a crap one, at that. Granger, you need to tell Potter and Weasley.'

Suddenly she was scared.

'No.' she whispered.

He stood up suddenly, exasperated.

'Why not? I know they'll be angry, but they're not dumb. Even I can admit that they're good Aurors. They know how to stay calm!'

That was true, actually. He was right. But he couldn't leave her. Not when she needed him.

'I can't. Not now. I'll tell them, I promise. But not now.'

'But now's the only time! You need someone to keep you safe!'

'No I don't! I'm capable of keeping myself safe. I just need someone to be there when I need help from a breakdown or something!'

'Well why can't they do it?'

'They can. They're capable. But the thing is, it's been you who's been with me these past few days. And so you already understand my problem the best.'

'So why didn't you tell them first instead of me?' he said as he sat down again.

She sat up, annoyed.

'I wasn't going to tell _anyone_, dumbarse. It's not my fault that you ended up finding out.'

He sighed.

'I suppose you're right.'

'Yes, I always am.'

He smiled slightly at that. Then he frowned.

'Your lips are turning blue again. How're you feeling?'

'Good, I suppose. A bit cold. What were those things that attacked me?'

He sighed again. 'They're like ghosts, only they can actually do stuff. And they're bonded to this manor. And they don't like muggle blood.'

'Yeah, I worked that out.'

'I'm really sorry about them. I try to contro-.'

'Stop apologising, Malfoy. It's not your fault.'

He smiled wryly. Her teeth began chattering slightly, and he frowned as he noticed.

'You should probably get warm.'

And he cast a heating spell. It had hardly any effect. The chattering of her teeth became worse. And she felt tiredness creeping up on her.

'I don't think it's working, Malfoy. How did you warm me up before?'

He looked away slightly before answering.

'I sat with you.'

Her teeth began chattering violently, and quickly he came and sat next to her, rubbing her arms slightly. His brows furrowed in worry. She yawned.

'Come on Granger. Warm up.'

And so she fell asleep, warm in his arms.

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**A/N**

**Awww cheesy ending there.**

**Hope you liked it, because it's almost one in the morning. Hehe.**

**Until next week,**

**AK47 :)**


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